Carrol Daily Times Herald from Carroll, Iowa · Page 39

in the City By EDWIN FULLER The well dressed old man turned around abruptly at the sight of a girl who looked both funny and pathetic under the load of a big Christmas tree. "Could I help you, my dear?" he said. She let the bushy part of the tree drop to the ground, while still holding the trunk part with both hands., "It sure is heavy," she panted. "I didn't realize things were so difficult, I mean like getting a Christmas tree home." "It can be a trial without a car," he said as he gently took the tree from her. "I tell you what, let's get a cab. The driver will grouse a bit but if I tip him enough he'll come around to the fact that it's Christmas Eve." "Do you think we could?" she said rubbing her chafed hands. "It won't be easy, but we can try," the old man said. "The thing to do is hide the tree and when I get a cab we'll spring the problem on the driver. It will be A. Christmas Tree's Story Times Herald, Carroll, !a. Saturday, Nov. 18, 1967 a fait late for him to refuse." He dragged the tree to a darkened. store entrance, returned to the curb and raised an arm against the streaming traffic leadlights. Watching for a lighted taxi sign, he also glanced at the girl, who had retreated to guard the tree. She was only 18 or 19; her clothing seemed too elegant for the circumstances. He made a mental note that it would be worth the price of a cab to find out where such a girl would be lugging a .Christmas tree through the cold New York night. The distance between them precluded conversation and the old man imagined she was sizing him up in the same way he was making mental notes about her. Probably thinks I'm an ancient masher hoping for a miracle, he Toy Shops Sans Cash Registers The Salvation Army still looks sedate and old fashioned, but its ways of distributing Christ mas services to the needy have changed considerably since the days of family food baskets am mass holiday dinners in hirec halls and armories where attendance was often embarras sing to some. The old - time food basket method of helping the needy has been replaced by psychologically oriented giving. Today a poor family is more likely to receive a check to cover the cost of Christmas dinner, and needy parents may visit Salvation Army "toy shops," to personally choose their children's gifts from a wide variety of brand new toys and dolls. The shops are toy stores without cash registers and items are free to parents of limited income. The Salvation Army assembles the toys through donations from toy manufacturers and by wholesale purchase. Ont of the toy shops Is set up each Christmas within the walls of a maximum security prison for women in Illinois. Salvation Army personnel supervise selections and wrap and mail the gifts chosen. The shop has been effective in improving prisoners' morale during a time that is usually starkly depressing for these women. In correctional institutions where prisoners don't have access to an in - prison "toy shop," Salvation Army officers, who visit the prisons regularly, enable many inmates to send some token gift to their children at C h r i s t m a s . Salvationists purchase the doll or toy specified and send it home with "love from Daddy/! or "from Mother." Previously Salvationists distributed or mailed food or gifts to these "forgotten families" of prisoners. Today, the Army strives to be the discreet "middle man" in an effort to strengthen family ties and preserve a measure of self respect in the prisoner and his family. The Salvation Army still provides mass feeding facilities at Christmas and Thanksgiving for thousands of men and women in cities who are alone and needy during the holidays. Yet many "'loners" attend small, more personalized Christmas parties through invitations extended by Salvation Army Harbor Light and Men's Social Service Centers. The Salvation Army Corps on East 52nd St. in New York, for example, has an annual pre - Christmas party where the guests — all men from the Bowery — enjoy a banquet style turkey dinner. Entertainment, music and gifts for each man make the occasion a far cry from the "cold charity" dinners of another era. In the Bowery itself, the Salvation Army center also schedules a number of pre-Christmas festivities. They try to have enough small, colorfully wrapped gifts on hand so that no skid row inhabitant who participates in the Christmas program at 349 Bowery will come away without a Christmas gift of his own. Others in whom the Salvation Army has always taken a special interest are the thousands of foreign seamen who are be- Haute Couture . . . colors invade the Christmas packaging field. Yarn gift ties of acrylic come in purples, pinks and oranges. tween voyages in U.S. seaports during the Christmas holidays. Several Christmas parties for these men are held each year. The Army even finds out which seamen are to be at sea on Christmas day, so that special pre-Christmas parties can be arranged and gifts prepared for them before sailing. Because so many seamen are Scandinavian, the S a 1 v a t i o n Army in the port of New York makes a special effort to make them feel at home by staging "Lucia Festivals," identical to those being held at Christmas time at home. The Lucia Festival is a Swedish tradition. It marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Sweden, and its observance anywhere in the world is a comforting touch of home for sentimental Swedes. There are many other ways that the Salvation Army continues to develop increased awareness of the benefits of psychologically oriented ways of giving aid and comfort to the needy — at Christmas and all year around. thought, but I wouldn't expect such a miracle even on Christmas Eve. Finally a cab pulled up, spraying the salted slush on the old man's well creased trousers. He opened the rear door and said in a salesmanlike tone: "I have an unusual problem, driver. Can you help me get a young woman and her Christmas tree home?" Without waiting for an answer, he called the girl over. She jumped in while he dragged the eight - foot balsam toward the cab. The driver got out and said, "Now, Mac, where do you think we can put that?" "We could tie it on top if we had a piece of string," the old man said. "I ain't got a truck, Mac," the driver snorted. Dropping the tree trunk, the old man fished through some bills and handed the cab driver a five. "Maybe we could get it In the trunk," the now friendly driver conceded. Five minutes later the cab started down Lexington Avenue, with the trunk lid resting lightly on the protruding tree. "Where we going folks?" the cab driver asked cheerily. "Five, fifty - four Sixty ninth," the young woman answered, then said to the old man, "This is very kind of you — it's something I wouldn't expect even on Christmas Eve." "Not at all, my dear," he said. "At my age, what really matters is to get to help people, and perhaps to know them." Then he was sorry he had revealed the loneliness of a wealthy old bore. She did not respond but peered at the street signs as the cab barrelled along, then said to the driver. "Drop me at Sixty - ninth and Second. I'll have to walk from there." The old man looked at her quizzically. "We're having this benefit party of the Junior League," she explained. "Part of the deal is drawing for these wild assignments. If we don't complete them, we have to double our contributions. Roger wanted to send the chauffeur to follow me but that would have been cheating. "But you," . . . here she squeezed his arm . . . "were gallant and I did not ask you for help ... now did I?" The cab pulled to the curb at Sixty - ninth and Second. "Now you must let me pay for the cab," the young woman said. "You may, my dear," the old man said wearily. He sat mutely while the driver extracted the tree from the trunk. She paid the fare and began the half - block journey to the small apartment address where the party was in progress. "Where to?" the driver asked. "To the nearest bar, son," the old man said. "I want to have a drink and read Dickens' Christmas Carol. This time I think I might get Scrooge's point of View." I & I i i ^PP% i S* B tt DEARDUFF'S Clothing For Men and Young Men Distinguished New SUITS For Men and Young Men '501« $ 120 At Dearduff's you find • select collection of now fall and winter suits. Superlative tailoring insures superior fit and wear; advance styling in 1, 2 or 3 buttons, all wool and wool blends, single and double breasted. Sizes 35 thru 48 in regular, short and long. Suits from such leading manufacturers as Sewell Mfg. Co., Curlee Clothing Co., Michaels-Stern, Hammonton Park and others. Remember, Dearduff's Is your clothing headquarters in Carroll. t t l DEARDUFF ~+*~~**+*^~~**~^~*^+*~^ Be as choosy as you Hke...We have We specialize in Men's and Young Men's Wear For Christmas, please him with gifts from our fabulous selec tion of Men's Fashion... styles, fabrics, colors to please any man! We'll help gift him right and at fair prices. SPORT COATS $3250 to $65 The perfect gift for the man on your list. Choose from our wide selection of all the latest fabrics and the newest styles. Sizes 36 to 46 in regulars and longs. ALL-WEATHER 1 COATS $2500 „ $4500 Water-repellent coats unlined or with zip-out lining. Sizes 36 to 46 in regulars and longs. GIFT CERTIFICATES If after reading this ad and have browsed around in our store you're still puzzled, there is no finer gift than one of our personalized engraved gttt certificates. FREE GIFT WRAPPING OF ALL GIFT PURCHASES GLOVES $4.50 to $6.00 Lined or unlined in sizes 8Va to 12. 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Haggar Slacks Men's and Young Men'* - $ 25°° Choose from ow carefully tailored, long-wuring slacks in a wide selection of the latest styles and newest fabrics including the new permanent press slacks. Sizes 28 thru 48. JOCKEY SOCKS $1.00 to $2.00 Wools, blends, elastic tops, calf length. All sizes. PURITAN CARDIGAN SWEATERS '14°° ^ $ 35 CORDUROY JEANS oo $8.00 Alpaca stitch, shags, prints, solids. Sizes S, M, L, XL in regulars and longs. Widewale permanent press corduroy. Gold, blue, olive, rust, beige. Sizes 26 thru 36. HOPSACK JEANS . $7.00 I w, CHAMP HATS $7.95 ,,$17.95 Fur felt—Suede—Velour— Wool Plaids. Sizes 6% thru 7%. Regular and long oval. SEE OUR NEW GIFT BAR FOR MEN LOADED WITH UNUSUAL YET PRACTICAL GIFTS FREE ALTERATIONS ON ALL PURCHASES BY OUR ALTERATION DEPARTMENT Clothing For Men And Young Men — Carroll i i ^r^mftiM^